'Quackers' or not? This Lindfield duck house fundraiser has sparked controversy on Facebook

This was just one of the responses on Facebook after Mid Sussex District Council announced a Spacehive page to raise £1,071 for a safe space for waterfowl.

A Mid Sussex District Council spokesperson said: “Currently the ducks live on a hard standing in the pond with no protection from the elements or predators.

“We think an upgrade is needed but we can’t do this without local community help.”

They said any left-over money raised will go towards putting more ‘waterfowl friendly areas’ in the pond.

The campaign has provoked strong reactions on Facebook with some commenters calling it ‘ridiculous’ and ‘a complete waste of money’.

One said: “A man-made duck house is too hemmed in, so the wild ducks won’t use it.”

Another said: “Surely you can afford a duck house after the amount of council tax you take off me.”

One commenter said the suggestion had ‘gone swimmingly’, while another asked ‘can’t we send the ducks the bill?’

However, the post did receive some positive attention, with backers pledging more than £400 already.

Responding to the criticism, a council spokesman called Lindfield Pond ‘a well-loved historic feature in the village’.

He said: “Following the repairs made by WSCC Highways to the collapsed footpath wall earlier in the year, Mid Sussex District Council has been working with our Parish and County Council partners to restore and improve the pond.”

He said they aim to replace one of the floating islands with a new one, repair cracks in the brick island and replace some of the bollards.

The spokesperson continued: “Alongside this work, some residents asked us how they could support improvements to the pond.

“We thought crowd funding a floating house for the ducks would provide a great opportunity for the community to get involved in a fun project and make a positive difference to the pond.

“Many ducks make the pond their home and bring up their ducklings and the house will provide a useful shelter for them.

“We’ve had an excellent response so far and are almost halfway to our target after just a few days.”

He said donations would be refunded if the project does not raise enough money.

Visit spacehive.com/lindfield-floating-duck-house.